36 students chosen to lead Summer Welcome

Applicants go through three rounds of interviews.

Out of 170 applicants and three interview rounds, the New Student Programs staff selected 36 students to be the 2014 Summer Welcome leaders.

Summer Welcome Student Coordinators Javier Fernandez and Kelsey Haberberger helped in the decision-making process of the new Summer Welcome leaders.

After turning in an application to the New Student Programs staff, the applicants went through an interviewing process.

For the first round, students were paired with another individual, after which the interviewers selected students for the group interview round, Fernandez said.

“They’ll work in different teams trying to accomplish different goals,” he said. “We just want to see how they work with others because one of the biggest aspects is communication.”

The third and final round was a one-on-one interview. A few days later, students were notified if they had been selected as a Summer Welcome leader.

Sophomore Ally Adrian and senior Mitchell Moonier were two of those who became 2014 leaders.

“I wasn’t really expecting to get in the first time since a Summer Welcome leader position is really hard to get,” Adrian said. “So I was nervous a lot of the time, but at the same time I was trying to absorb everything that was going on and really get the feeling of what was happening. That way if I did have to apply again, I’d be ready the second time around.”

For Moonier, this was his third time applying to be a Summer Welcome leader. By this round, Moonier said he did not feel as nervous as he did the first time he went through the interviewing process.

“Of course you have some nerves in you, but once you step into the interviews, that all goes away,” he said. “I realized there’s no reason to be nervous because all you have to do is be yourself.”

Adrian said she wanted to be a leader after her positive experience at Summer Welcome.

“I have a lot of alumni of MU in my immediate family,” Adrian said. “My parents and older sister both went here, so the biggest drawback for me coming to Mizzou is that it would never really be mine. But at Summer Welcome, I could see all the different things I could get involved in and all the different people I could meet that would make Mizzou my own unique experience.”

Moonier wants to answer questions the majority of new students have.

“So regardless if someone has friends who are coming to Mizzou, they still face those questions,” Moonier said. “They need something like Summer Welcome to get them acquainted with Mizzou so they can get on track for that first semester.”

Moonier said he is ready to go the extra mile to help orient new students during Summer Welcome and extend a helpful hand during their first year at college.

Moonier is also prepared to give incoming students a fun atmosphere at Summer Welcome.

“Many incoming students come in very tense and serious, but I think with my dance moves, it’ll help bring a smile to their face and help them relax,” Moonier said.

Fernandez said his overall advice to people interested in becoming a Summer Welcome leader is to be yourself.

“Each one of us has a story to tell, and sometimes we’re afraid of just revealing it to others, but if you break out of your comfort zone and you’re able to just tell your Mizzou story, that’s what everyone is looking for,” Fernandez said. “It’s what makes you different and shows you can embrace the discomfort and love yourself anyways.”